Driver who killed teenage boy in Tierrasanta hit-and-run sentenced to 4 years in state prison

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A 20-year-old woman who had been drinking when she struck and killed a teenage boy in Tierrasanta, then fled the scene, has been sentenced to four years in state prison.

Jessica Medsker pleaded guilty to hit-and-run in the March 9 death of 16-year-old Alex Funk. The defendant — who has no prior record — faces anywhere from probation to four years in prison. 

The conviction is considered a "wobbler," meaning a judge could reduce it to a misdemeanor at the court’s discretion, said Deputy District Attorney Andrew Aguilar.

Aguilar said 16-year-old Alex Funk and a friend were walking southbound in the fast lane of the 5700 block of Santo Road with their backs toward traffic around midnight on March 9. The victim’s friend managed to jump onto a median to avoid being hit. 

Funk’s family had moved to San Diego seven months before the accident, relatives said. 

A motorcyclist who was following Medsker estimated she was driving 60 mph in a 45-mph zone when her car struck the teen, according to Aguilar. Medsker was arrested six days later, about a mile from the stretch of road where the victim died. 

The defendant admitted taking sips from her boyfriend’s alcoholic drink at a La Jolla restaurant earlier in the evening, the prosecutor said.